COOPERATION WITH COMMUNITIES VULNERABLE TO HATE CRIMES - LRV
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Funded by the European Union’s Rights,
Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014-2020)
COOPERATION WITH COMMUNITIES
VULNERABLE TO HATE CRIMES
Practical guide for law enforcement officers
Compiled by the Human Rights Monitoring Institute and
the Lithuanian Centre for Human Rights
by the order of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania
Vilnius
2020
© Ministry of the Interior, 2020
This practical guide has been compiled under the project ‘Strengthening response to hate
crime and hate speech in Lithuania’ funded by the European Union’s Rights, Equality and
Citizenship Programme (2014-2020). Project partners: Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of
Lithuania (coordinator), Prosecutor General of the Republic of Lithuania and the Office of the
Inspector of Journalist Ethics.
This practical guide has been compiled by the Human Rights Monitoring Institute and the
Lithuanian Centre for Human Rights by the order of the Ministry of the Interior. Authors: Goda
Jurevičiūtė (Human Rights Monitoring Institute), Jūratė Juškaitė (Lithuanian Centre for Human
Rights) and Agnė Pakšytė (Lithuanian Centre for Human Rights).
The content of this practical guide represents the views of the authors and the project
coordinator only and is their sole responsibility. The European Commission does not accept any
responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains.
2
CONTENTS
PREFACE 5
A GUIDE TO THE COMMUNITIES OF LITHUANIA 6
JEWISH COMMUNITY 7
History and demography 7
Public opinion about the Jews 8
Expression of hatred towards the Jewish community 9
Important information about the community 12
Organisations 16
THE ROMANI COMMUNITY 17
History and demography 17
Public opinion about the Romani 18
Expression of hatred towards the Romani community 19
Important information about the community 20
Organisations 21
MUSLIM COMMUNITY 22
History and demography 22
Public opinion about the Muslims 23
Expression of hatred towards Muslims 24
Important information about the community 25
Organisations 29
FOREIGNER COMMUNITY 30
Demography 30
Public opinion about foreigners 30
Expression of hatred towards foreigners 31
Important information about the community 34
Organisations 35
LITHUAIAN LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER (LGBT) COMMUNITY
37
History 37
Public opinion about LGBT 38
Expression of hatred towards the LGBT community 39
Important information about the community 40
Organisations 41
3
COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES 42
History and demography 42
Public opinion about people with disabilities 43
Expression of hatred towards people with disabilities 44
Important information about the community 46
Organisations 46
COMMUNICATION WITH THE MEDIA 48
RECOMMENDATIONS ON BUILDING RELATIONS WITH COMMUNITIES 49
Contacts of Human Rights Organisations 56
Literature 57
4
PREFACE
This practical guide has been compiled under the project ‘Strengthening the response to hate
crimes and hate speech in Lithuania’, funded under the European Union Rights, Equality and
Citizenship Programme (2014-2020).
This project involved five round table discussions between local police officers, prosecutors
and representatives of communities that are vulnerable to hate crimes. The discussions took place in
January and February 2020 in five Lithuanian cities (Panevėžys, Šiauliai, Klaipėda, Kaunas and
Vilnius) and were attended by representatives of the Romani, Jewish, Russian, Ukrainian, foreigner,
LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender), Muslim communities and people with disabilities (both
mental or physical). The goal was to discuss the hate crime-related experience of the communities
in Lithuania and encourage their cooperation with law enforcement in order to achieve a more
efficient hate speech prevention, increase the communities’ trust in law enforcement and have the
victims better informed on the procedures of pre-trial investigation.
These discussions helped to asses, which information on the vulnerable communities of
Lithuania is needed most by the law enforcement and the findings were used to compile this practical
guide. The purpose of this guide is to help get a better understanding of the communities of Lithuania
that are most vulnerable to hate crimes and provide the law enforcement officers with
recommendations on efficient cooperation with these communities that would be based on mutual
trust.
According to the informal definition, a hate crime refers to a criminal offence, the purpose
of which is to humiliate a person or a group because of their age, gender, sexual orientation,
disability, race, nationality, language, ethnicity, social status, religion, beliefs or views1. Hate speech
(or incitement to hatred) is a public communication (spreading ideas, opinions or facts that are
known to be untrue), the purpose of which is to bully, contempt, incite discrimination, violence or a
physical violent treatment of a group of persons or a person belonging thereto 2.
Defining hate crimes, human rights experts often say that these are the crimes that threaten
the core of personal identity. Hate crimes send a message to the person and his entire community
that their identity excludes them from the society, that they are not welcome there and that they are
not regarded as its equal members. Hate crimes give the victims a sense of insecurity, create stress,
force them to hide their identity and shut out from the rest the world. Some of the victims even
decide to leave the country3. The moral and psychological harm of these crimes is enormous. We
hope that this guide will help create a better understanding of the impact of hate crimes and that this
understanding will lead to building stronger connections with the vulnerable communities in order
to give an effective response to this criminal activity and prevent it.
1
Labanauskas, L. Neapykantos Nusikaltimų Pažeidžiamų Bendruomenių Kokybinio Tyrimo Ataskaita, Ministry of the
Interior, 2019, p. 7.
https://vrm.lrv.lt/uploads/vrm/documents/files/LT_versija/Viesasis_saugumas/Pa%C5%BEeid%C5%BEiam%C5%B3
%20bendruomeni%C5%B3%20kokybinio%20tyrimo%20ataskaita.pdf
2
Ibid.
3
Ibid, p. 82.
5
A GUIDE TO THE COMMUNITIES OF LITHUANIA
This part of the guide provides information on the communities of Lithuania that are the most
vulnerable to hate crimes – the Romani people, Jews, Muslims, foreigners, the LGBTI
community and people with disabilities. These communities have been selected based on the
qualitative research, ordered by the Ministry of the Interior and conducted by sociologist Dr
Liutauras Labanauskas, and public opinion polls, conducted by the Institute for Ethnic Studies for
already 15 years, listing groups that experience the greatest effect of social distancing. Social
distance is referred to as a distance between social groups in the society – different races, ethnic
groups, religions, faiths, sexual orientation, social classes, etc. Social distancing manifests in
prejudice of persons that belong to one group against people in another group, uneven frequency
and intensity of social relations between different groups, also differences in education, employment
access to public services, etc.4 In other words, social distance shows the distance between a certain
social group and the rest of the society. The greater the distance, the more discrimination, negative
prejudice, stereotypes and integration difficulties is experienced by the said group.
Each chapter of this part contains a description of the historical context, demographical,
cultural details (celebrations, important places, characteristic clothing details, etc.) of a specific
community, the type of vulnerability and public opinions on representatives of the said community.
This information will help recognize hate crimes against these communities, enabling to get a
better understanding of how the hate crimes affect both the individual people and the entire
community targeted. Mutual understanding is the first and essential step in seeking for a more
efficient cooperation with vulnerable communities.
Each of the descriptions also includes a list of organisations working with appropriate
communities and their contacts.
4
Beresnevičienė, V. Socialinė Distancija, Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija, 2012.
https://www.vle.lt/Straipsnis/socialine-distancija-88024
6
JEWISH COMMUNITY
History and demography
The Jews are a religious, ethnic and cultural group. Although historically their identity is
closely related to Jewish religion – Judaism – and culture, people that do not belong to this religion
identify themselves as Jews as well (e.g. someone born in a Jewish family, although irreligious).
According to calculations, there are more than 14 billion Jews in the world, 45 per cent of whom
live in Israel and 39 per cent – in the USA5.
Lithuanian Jews are also known as Litwaks (Polish for ‘a person from Lithuania’). Up until
the mid. 20th c. the majority of Litwaks used to speak a Lithuanian Yiddish dialect, but only a few
speakers survived the Holocaust 6.
Today, more than 2,700 Lithuanian residents identify as Jews7.
The Jews have been living in Lithuania and have been a part of our society since the ancient
times. According to historians, the first Jewish merchants and craftsmen came to the Lithuanian
territory 1000-1100 years ago8. However, the first reliable document to mark the presence of the
Jewish community in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was the Charter of Brest, issued by Vytautas
the Great in 1388, thus granting privileges, which meant that they could practice their religion,
engage in various crafts and travel. In 1897, the Jews constituted 13.1 per cent of the population in
cities and towns and as many as 40 per cent of the citizens of Vilnius 9.
Unfortunately, the history of the Jews is inseparable from the development of antisemitism
since the oldest of days. Antisemitism – negative attitudes, discrimination or hostility towards Jews
– is deeply rooted in the history, stemming from different faulty prejudice about the Jews. Probably
the earliest branch of antisemitism is theological antisemitism, which is based on a Christian belief
that the Jews are to blame for the death of Christ. The conflict between Christianity and Judaism
resulted in discrimination against the Jews since the earliest days of Christianity – they used to be
publicly humiliated, persecuted and killed during the Crusades. Religious disagreements gave rise
to various myths on Jewish religious practices and some of them survived to this day (e.g. that one
of the ingredients of matza, unleavened Jewish bread, is Christian children's blood).
Economic antisemitism is still very much prevalent today, involving various beliefs and
stereotypes about the Jews’ economic status and their relation to money. Prejudice that Jews are
very stingy, excessively rich or take part in various financial manipulations emerged back in the
Middle Ages, when the Jews were forbidden to own any land or engage in various crafts in the
5
Della Pergola, S. ‘World Jewish Population, 2018’, American Jewish Year Book, 2018.
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-03907-3_8
6
Litvakai.lt, Žydų kalbos. http://litvakai.mch.mii.lt/kalba/Default.htm
7
Statistics Lithuania. Lietuvos gyventojai: Gyventojų skaičius ir sudėtis, 2019. https://osp.stat.gov.lt/lietuvos-
gyventojai/lietuvos-gyventojai-2019/salies-gyventojai/gyventoju-skaicius-ir-sudetis
8
Šiaučiūnaitė-Verbickienė, J. ‘Sambūvio su žydais LDK tradicija – šimtametė’, bernardinai.lt, 30 April 2018
http://www.bernardinai.lt/straipsnis/2012-04-30-jurgita-siauciunaite-verbickiene-sambuvio-su-zydais-ldk-tradicija-
simtmete/81396
9
Litvakai.lt, Žydų kalbos. http://litvakai.mch.mii.lt/kalba/Default.htm
7
majority of countries. That is why most of them moved to cities and became tax collectors, money
lenders, etc. Thus, historically, the basis of economic antisemitism lies in antisemitic laws10.
Modern antisemitism against Lithuanian Jews emerged in the late 19th c. with strengthening
Lithuanian nationalism and resistance to the oppression of the Russian Empire 11. Lithuanian-Jewish
relations became even worse during the Soviet occupation (1940-1941). The society saw the Jews
as ‘Lithuania’s traitors’ and ‘collaborators with the occupants’, spreading demeaning stereotypes
and offensive chants.
Nazi ideology created a racial antisemitic narrative, emphasizing the alleged differences
between the Aryans and the Jews as races. This was the ideological foundation for the Holocaust –
the Jewish genocide, which took place during World War II. The Holocaust, committed by the Nazis
during World War II in German-controlled territories, resulted in the extermination of
approximately 6 million Jews. According to different calculations, the number included 90-96 per
cent of the Lithuanian Jewish population12. One of the largest massacres took place from July 1941
to August 1944 in Paneriai (Paneriai Massacre), resulting in 50-70 thousand victims, the majority of
whom were Jews13.
The tragedy of the Holocaust in Lithuania touched nearly every Jewish family. That is why
we should see the Holocaust as a collective trauma, which continues to affect the Jewish community
and culture all over the world.
Public opinion about the Jews
Although the Jews do not fall among the groups that experience the most social distancing
in Lithuania, there are numerous deeply-rooted negative attitudes towards this community. The
Global antisemitism index of the Anti-Defamation League, one of the most important international
non-governmental organisations, fighting against hate, has shown that:
● 74 per cent of Lithuanians think that Lithuanian Jews are more loyal to Israel than
Lithuania;
● 65 per cent of the respondents in Lithuania think that the Jews still talk too much about
what happened to them in the Holocaust;
● 45 per cent of the participants of the poll agreed with the statement that Jews have too
much power in international financial markets;
● 42 per cent agreed with the statement that the Jews think they are better than other
people;
● 36 per cent think that people hate Jews because of the way Jews behave 14.
10
Penslar, D. J. ‘Shylockʼs children: economics and Jewish identity in modern Europe’, University of California Press,
2001, p. 18.
11
Staliūnas, D. ‘How insulted religious feelings turned into pogroms: Lithuania in 1900’, East European Jewish
Affairs 43(2), August 2013, p. 120.
12
Murray, L. ‘75th Anniversary of the Lithuanian Holocaust’, Encyclopædia Britannica, 2016.
https://www.britannica.com/story/75th-anniversary-of-the-lithuanian-holocaust
13
Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum, Paneriai Memorial Exposition.
http://www.jmuseum.lt/lt/ekspozicija/i/188/paneriu-memorialo-ekspozicija/
14
Anti-Defamation League, ‘The ADL Global 100: An Index of Antisemitism ‒ Lithuania, 2014.
https://global100.adl.org/country/lithuania/2014
8
This study has shown that a large share of Lithuanians holds negative attitudes towards
people of Jewish origins, creating an image of the Jews as a group, which does not belong to the
Lithuanian society. It is important to realise that negative prejudice create the general climate in
the society and normalize certain attitudes towards individual groups of people. Our attitudes
are not isolated from other people and the wide society. Antisemitism can manifest in jokes about
the Jews, comments on the media, also mocking or demeaning comments on the internet. They can
be heard or read by other people and thus these attitudes spread eventually becoming a norm. This
gives green light to the radical part of the society, promoting hate in public space or taking part in
hate crimes.
Naturally, members of the Jewish community sense the negative prejudice and the negative
attitudes of the society too:
Both of my kids have been transferred to a Jewish school, but they used to attend a Lithuanian
school before. They used to listen to things, and my daughter, who is a member of a choir, still has
to listen to comments like... ‘it's a pity that not all of them were exterminated’ and other things.
Children talk, yet where do they bring this from? They hear these talks at home, of course15.
You feel like some hunted animal in a safari. People look at you, you draw too much
attention, become anxious [...], I try to get home as fast as I can, avoiding places with not many
people [...]. I can surely draw attention, because I look different. It’s not necessarily because I am
a Jew – I simply look different16.
Expression of hatred towards the Jewish community
Swastika – a geometric symbol,
promoted by the Nazis, the emblem of National-
Socialism and the superiority of the Aryan
people, also the international sign of
antisemitism and terror17. The white circle with
a black swastika on a red background was the
official flag of the Nazi Germany since 1935.
Although before the Nazis swastika was also
used in other contexts, including the Baltic
culture, hostility against the Jews and
In the photo: Adolph Hitler, holding the Nazi flag with antisemitism is undoubtedly the most prominent
a swastika and wearing an armband with a swastika, association in the modern Western world18.
1928
(photo credit: Archive of the United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum, courtesy of William O.
McWorkman)
15
Labanauskas, L. Neapykantos Nusikaltimų Pažeidžiamų Bendruomenių Kokybinio Tyrimo Ataskaita, Ministry of
the Interior, 2019, p. 32.
16
Ibid, p. 33.
17
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, ‘The History of Swastika’, Holocaust Encyclopaedia, 7 August 2017
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/history-of-the-swastika
18
Anti-Defamation League, ‘Hate of Display Hate Symbols Database: Swastika’, adl.org.
https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/swastika
9
In the photo: A swastika, made of soil in In the photo: A crossed Star of David, drawn in October 2019 near the
front of the Lithuanian Jewish Wiseman, a piece of art, which was a part of the Walls that Remember
Community Building project, featuring pictures of the Interwar Jews of Vilnius,
on 15 September 2019 transferred on walls
(photo credit: Delfi.lt)19 (photo credit: Walls that Remember Facebook page)20.
Other symbols of hate:
● HH – short for ‘Heil Hitler’.
● AH – Adolph Hitler initials.
● 18 – the number, which identifies the first and eighth letters of the alphabet – A and H –
symbolising Hitler’s initials.
● 88 – the number which identifies two eighth letters of the alphabet – H and H – symbolising
‘Heil Hitler’21.
Photo credit: adl.org22
Members of neo-Nazi movements often tattoo these symbols, use them to decorate their
clothing or put them on posters and other visual materials. The use of these or other similar symbols
is an important argument, which could help prove a motive of hatred while investigating hate
19
https://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/lithuania/prie-lietuvos-zydu-bendruomenes-vilniuje-is-zemiu-supilta-
svastika.d?id=82255441
20
https://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/lietuvoje/2/1106138/ant-sienos-nugules-meno-kurinys-isniekintas-antisemitiniais-
simboliais; https://www.facebook.com/wallsthatremember/posts/2788680157817405
21
Anti-Defamation League, ‘Hate of Display Hate Symbols Database’, adl.org.
https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols
22
Anti-Defamation League, ‘Hate of Display Hate Symbols Database: Swastika’, adl.org.
https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/88; Anti-Defamation League, ‘Hate of Display Hate Symbols
Database: Nazi Eagle’, adl.org, https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/nazi-eagle; Anti-Defamation
League, ‘Hate of Display Hate Symbols Database: Swastika’. https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-
symbols/swastika.
10incidents. It is important to mention that the use of antisemitic symbols in the public space is subject
to the Article 524 of the Code of Administrative Violations of the Republic of Lithuania
(‘Distribution or demonstration of Nazi or Communist symbols’).
Talking about antisemitic symbols (also hate symbols overall), it should be noted that people
often attempt to justify their use as unintended. Discussions with law enforcement officers often
involve such statements as: Perhaps the person, who drew the swastika thought of the innocent
Baltic symbol of fire? Perhaps 88 is that person's lucky number? and so on. However, the use of
antisemitic symbols should be subject to a critical and careful assessment, keeping in mind both the
historical context and that of the specific incident. A swastika, shaped right at the front door of a
Jewish community building is not and cannot be regarded as unintended behaviour in a random
location. Just like a tattoo of ‘88’ on a person, who has beaten another person on the street while
shouting ‘Lithuania for Lithuanians’ is not and cannot be interpreted as an accidental lucky number.
A detailed database of hate symbols is available on the website of the Anti-Defamation
League: https://www.adl.org/hate-symbols.
Seeking to establish if a crime under investigation has been motivated by hatred, it is
necessary to consider the location of the crime. Some incidents become hate crimes namely because
of the chosen location. For example, hammering a couple of pig’s ears on the door of the former
synagogue of Šiauliai in 2012 was interpreted as a hate crime for the particularly negative
connotation of a pig in the Jewish culture. If the incident happened in front of a different building,
for example, a butcher’s shop, it would be regarded as a simple violation of public order, instead of
a hate crime.
When investigating hate crimes, it is also important to consider the date of the crime in the
context of traditional Jewish celebrations. There are several reasons why. On one hand, Jewish
people might be reluctant to report to the police on their holidays, postponing it until after the
holidays are over23. On the other hand, dates that are important for the Jewish culture and history
are marked by various events, which get more attention on the media and thus might invoke
antisemitic moods or more serious hate incidents. Therefore, the date of the crime may be an
important detail of the context, enabling to help determine the motive of a certain incident. The law
enforcement should focus special attention on the security of synagogues and ceremonies in public
spaces during religious celebrations.
If the crime was committed against an individual person or a family, it is important to assess,
whether they are recognized in public. Certain religious and cultural symbols (for example, wearing
a kippah or keeping a menorah in the window) may help distinguish the Jews or Jewish families and
become the reason, why a certain crime was directed namely against them. During an investigation
of an alleged hate crime, it is important to consider, if the above-mentioned symbols could be visible
or were otherwise notable in the context of the crime.
23
A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe, ‘Guide to Jewish communities for Police’, 2019, p. 5.
https://www.facingfacts.eu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2019/10/EN-Jewish-communities-print.pdf
11Important information about the community
Cultural characteristics
Star of David – a hexagonal star, compound of two equilateral triangles (one pointing
upwards and the other – downwards) – is one of the most common symbols, related to the Jewish
culture and Judaism. Persecuted by the Nazis during World War II, the Jews were forced to wear a
yellow Star of David as a distinctive sign. The Star of David is also depicted on Israel’s flag.
In the photos: Star of David, Israel’s flag and girls with the yellow Star of David at Kaunas Ghetto (photo credit:
Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum)24 and the Yellow Star of David - a distinctive sign that was obligatory for Vilnius
Jews to wear during the Nazi occupation
(photo credit: Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum, photographer Paulius Račiūnas)
Kippah or yarmulke is a small cap, worn as a sign of respect to God25.
Kosher foods – a diet, regulated by religious rules of Judaism. Jews, who keep to these rules,
eat only ruminant meat (cows, goats, sheep and the majority of birds) and their dairy products.
Kosher meat must come from an animal slaughtered according to the laws of kashrut and carefully
cleaned of all blood. Kosher foods can be cooked using only kosher dishes and tableware. According
to kashrut rules, meat and dairy cannot be mixed together 26. It is important to know that pork is not
24
Vitkus, Z. „Vilniaus getas – kai žmonės bandė įsivaizduoti gyvenimą“, bernardinai.lt, 2013 rugsėjo 20 d.
http://www.bernardinai.lt/straipsnis/2013-09-20-vilniaus-getas-kai-zmones-bande-isivaizduoti-gyvenima/106934
25
A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe, Guide to Jewish communities for Police’, 2019, p. 25.
26
A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe, ‘Guide to Jewish communities for Police’ 2019, p. 25; Kosher
Certification, ‘Meat, Dairy and Pareve’, ok.org. https://www.ok.org/companies/what-is-kosher/meat-dairy-pareve-
setting-boundaries/
12kosher and pig as an animal carries a particularly negative connotation in the Jewish culture,
signifying dirt, diseases and low morale. Sometimes a pig can be used as a symbol of hate, e.g. in
2010, a pig’s head was left in front of the Jewish community building in Kaunas during Sabbath27.
Menorah – a seven-lamp lamp-stand, used for religious ceremonies in Judaism28.
In the photo: Mayor of Vilnius Remigijus Šimašius and Sholom Ber Krinsky, Rabin of the Jewish religious community
‘Chassidie Chabad Lubavitch’, light the first candle of the Great Menor in V. Kudirka Square
(photo credit: madeinvilnius.lt, photographer - Saulius Žiūra)
Mezuzah – a wooden case, fixed to the door
frame, holding a piece of parchment with certain
verses from the Torah, the Jewish holy book29. This
is a symbol of the Jewish faith, which can help
recognize Jewish homes.
In the photo: Mezuzah in Kaunas Choral
Synagogue Ohel Jakov
(photo credit: "What is happening in Kaunas",
photo by R. Tenis)
27
Baltic News Service, ‘Po išpuolio su kiaulės galva Kaune prie sinagogos įrengtos kameros’, 15min.lt, 11 October
2010 https://www.15min.lt/naujiena/aktualu/lietuva/po-ispuolio-su-kiaules-galva-kaune-prie-sinagogos-irengtos-
kameros-56-119413
28
Encyclopædia Britannica, ‘Menorah“, 19 September 2013. https://www.britannica.com/topic/menorah
29
Lav, I. M. ‘Praktinė Halacha (Įstatymai): Mezuza’, Vidinės Toros studijų centras, tora.lt.
http://tora.lt/index.php?psl=115739&i=0&d=0&klb=1
13Celebrations
Religious celebrations:
● Sabbath – weekly celebration – Saturday. Some particularly religious Jews or those,
who practice Orthodox Judaism, do not work on Saturdays, try to avoid travelling, may be reluctant
to use the phone or other electronics. As a tradition, Sabbath is used for going to synagogue and
spending time with family and friends 30.
● Hanukkah – an eight-day Festival of Lights, celebrated in November-December.
Hanukkah is dedicated to the victory of the light against the darkness and the victory of Judaism
against paganism. This celebration involves raising a special menorah of Hanukkah – a nine-lamp
lamp-stand31. During Hanukkah, some Lithuanian cities also raise a menorah in public places, e.g.
Vincas Kudirka square in Vilnius. Menorahs, kept in the window and in public places make
members of the Jewish communities easier to identify, which could result in more frequent hate
crimes against them32.
Hanukkah to be celebrated:
✔ In 2020 – from 10 December to 18 December
✔ In 2021 – from 28 November to 6 December
✔ In 2022 – from 18 December to 26 December
✔ In 2023 – from 7 December to 15 December
● Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Year, celebrated in autumn. This day, just like
the Sabbath, is a non-working day, dedicated to celebrating with families and going to synagogue33.
Rosh Hashanah to be celebrated:
✔ In 2020 – from 18 September to 20 September
✔ In 2021 – from 6 September to 8 September
✔ In 2022 – from 25 September to 27 September
✔ In 2023 – from 15 September to 17 September
● Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement, celebrated 10 days after the New Year to
complete the period of Yamim Noraim – the time of repentance and stillness. Traditionally, Jews
spend this day fasting and wear white34.
● Passover – a Jewish celebration to mark the Jewish nation's leaving from Egypt 35. It
is often celebrated on the same days as the Catholic Easter.
Passover to be celebrated:
✔ In 2020 – from 8 April to16 April
✔ In 2021 – from 27 March to 4 April
✔ In 2022 – from 15 April to 23 April
✔ In 2023 – from 5 April to 13 April
30
A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe, ‘Guide to Jewish communities for Police’, 2019, p. 5.
31
Levinas, S. ‘Chanuka 2019 ‒ šventės istorija, tradicijos ir vaišės’, Lietuvos žydų (litvakų) bendruomenė, 19
December 2019. https://www.lzb.lt/category/istorija-ir-kultura/zydu-sventes-ir-valgiai/
32
A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe, ‘Guide to Jewish communities for Police’, 2019, p. 10.
33
Ragauskaitė, G. ‘Roš ha Šana ‒ žydų Naujieji Metai’, Zarasų krašto žydų istorija, zarasu-zydai.lt,
http://www.zarasu-zydai.lt/index.php/project/ros-ha-sana-zydu-naujieji-metai/
34
Pažėraitė, A. ‘Jom Kipuras ‒ rugsėjo 30 pasninkas’, Lietuvos žydų (litvakų) bendruomenė, 28 September 2017
https://www.lzb.lt/2017/09/28/jom-kipuras-rugsejo-30-pasninkas/
35
Juonytė, Ž. ‘Pesachas ‒ žydų fizinės ir dvasinės laisvės šventė’, bernardinai.lt, 30 March 2018
http://www.bernardinai.lt/straipsnis/2018-03-30-pesachas-zydu-fizines-ir-dvasines-laisves-svente/169186
14Dates, related to the Holocaust:
● 27 January – International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This day marks the
liberation of several thousand of people, who survived the mass massacre at Auschwitz
concentration camp in 1945 36.
● 23 September – Memorial Day for the Genocide of Lithuanian Jews. It marks the
day of extermination of Vilnius Ghetto in 1943.
The year of 2020 has been announced as the year of Vilna Gaon and the History of the Jews
of Lithuania37.
Locations
This list of religious, historical and cultural locations that are important to the Jewish
community is not finite, thus it would be advisable to research more on the locations that are
important to the Jewish community in your specific area.
Religious locations:
✔ The Great Synagogue of Vilna and the monument for Vilna Gaon (Žygų g. 3, Vilnius)
✔ Kaunas Choral Synagogue (E. Ožeškienės g. 13, Kaunas)
✔ Klaipėda Synagogue (Žiedų skg. 3, Klaipėda)
✔ The Great Choral Synagogue of Šiauliai (closed, Plačioji g. 7, Šiauliai)
✔ Panevėžys Synagogue (closed, M. Valančiaus g. 4, Panevėžys)
Community buildings:
✔ Lithuanian Jewish Community (Pylimo g. 4, Vilnius)
✔ Kaunas Jewish Community (Gedimino g. 47, Kaunas)
✔ Klaipėda Jewish Community (Sinagogų g. 13, Klaipėda)
✔ Šiauliai Jewish Community (Višinskio g. 24, Šiauliai)
✔ Panevėžys Jewish Community (Ramygalos g. 18, Panevėžys)
Museums and historical places:
✔ Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum (Naugarduko g. 10/2)
✔ The Big Ghetto of Vilnius (Lydos, Rūdninkų, Mėsinių, Ašmenos, Žemaitijos, Dysnos,
Šiaulių, Ligoninės streets)
✔ Memorial of Paneriai (Agrastų g. 15, Vilnius)
✔ The Ninth Fort of Kaunas, where about 50,000 people were exterminated during the years
of World War II and the majority of them were Jews 38 (Žemaičių plentas 73, Kaunas)
✔ Chiune Sugihara House Museum (Vaižganto g. 30, Kaunas)
36
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, ‘International Holocaust Remembrance Day’.
https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/holocaustremembranceday
37
Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, ‘2020 designated as the Year of the Vilna Gaon and the History of
the Jews of Lithuania’, 24 July 2019 https://lrkm.lrv.lt/en/news/2020-designated-as-the-year-of-the-vilna-gaon-and-
the-history-of-the-jews-of-lithuania
38
The Ninth Fort of Kaunas, ‘Masinių žudynių vieta’. https://www.9fortomuziejus.lt/istorija/masiniu-zudyniu-vieta/
15Cemeteries:
There is a number of old Jewish cemeteries in Lithuania, which could be targeted as a
location or object of hate crimes against the Jewish community. Keep in mind that liability for
vandalism in a cemetery is established in Article 312 ‘Desecration of a Grave or Another Place of
Public Respect’ of the Criminal Code.
More information:
A map of all Litvak cemeteries – http://www.litvak-cemetery.info/lt/database
A detailed database of all locations in Lithuania that are related to the Holocaust –
http://www.holocaustatlas.lt/LT
Organisations
Having encountered a possible antisemitic crime, you can contact non-governmental human
rights organisations, operating in Lithuania, and Jewish communities. They can help interpret the
meaning of specific symbols, offer the necessary contextual knowledge and, most importantly, help
understand the effect on the alleged crime on the community.
Contacts of the major Jewish organisations, operating in Lithuania:
Lithuanian Jewish (Litvak) Community
(uniting all Lithuanian Jews and their communities)
Address: Pylimo g. 4, Vilnius 01117
Phone number: +370 5 261 3003
E-mail: info@lzb.lt
Website: www.lzb.lt
Kaunas Jewish Centre
Address: Gedimino g. 47, Kaunas 44242
Phone number: +37068173385
E-mail: jewishkaunas@gmail.com
Website: www.kaunasjewish.eu/lt
Klaipėda Jewish Community
Address: Sinagogų g. 13, Klaipėda 91227
Phone number: +37065021335
E-mail: felix.ultima@gmail.com
Website: www.klaipedajewish.lt
Panevėžys Jewish Community
Address: Ramygalos g. 18, Panevėžys 36236
Phone number: +370 611 20882
E-mail: genakofman@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.jewishpanevezys.lt
You can also address other Lithuanian human rights organisations. Their contact list
is provided on page 56.
16THE ROMANI COMMUNITY
History and demography
The ancestors of the Romani came to Europe from north-western India and settled in Greece,
Romania and Hungary. They have been known nearly all over Western Europe since 15th c. The
Romani came to Lithuania circa mid. 15th c, but it seems that some communities had settled here
since the days of Vytautas the Great 39. Currently the majority of the Romani live in Romania, also
Spain, Bulgaria and Hungary.
According to the population census, conducted by Statistics Lithuania under the Government
of the Republic of Lithuania, the number of Romani, living in Lithuania in 2011, was 2,115,
constituting 0.07 per cent of the entire population of Lithuania 40.
The age structure of the Romani minority is unique in the context of the entire country – a
large share of this group – as many as 49 per cent of the entire Romani population – consists of
children and youth of up to 20 years old (children and youth (0-19 years old) constitute 22 per cent
of the entire population in Lithuania).
The data of the population census in 2001 and 2011 shows significant changes in education
– the level of education among the Romani in 2011 increased. The number of illiterate or those, who
have not completed primary education, reduced from 26 to 10 per cent, with the share of people with
primary education increasing from 31 to 42 per cent. The number of persons with middle school
education increased as well – from 15 to 29 per cent 41.
Based on research data,
Lithuanian Romani belong to three
ethnic groups: ‘Litovska Romani’
(Lithuanian Romani), ‘Lotfktka
Romani’ (Latvian Romani) and
‘kotliar’. ‘Litovska’ and ‘Lotfktka’ are
Romanin Catholics, while the
‘kotliar’, who came to Lithuania from
Moldova after World War II, practice
Eastern Orthodox religion. The latter
live separately from other settlements,
maintaining their strict cultural
In the photo: March of the first Roma culture festival ‘Gypsy fest’
traditions. Overall, the Romani do not on Gediminas Avenue, Vilnius
have a common religion and profess (photo credit: MadeinVilnius.lt, photographer - Evaldas Činga.)
the religion, predominating their
39
The Romani Platform, ‘Istorija’. http://www.romuplatforma.lt/istorija/
40
Department of National Minorities under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, ‘Balandžio 8-oji ‒
Tarptautinė romų diena’, 7 April 2017. https://tmde.lrv.lt/lt/naujienos/balandzio-8-oji-tarptautine-romu-diena-1
41
Ibid.
17residential territory. They do not follow the liturgy, but practice it in their own way. The Romani
live in different parts of the country, but the largest communities are located in Vilnius, Kaunas,
Šiauliai, Panevėžys and Šalčininkai42.
Having no written laws, they organise their lives according to certain unwritten standards.
These are passed down through generations, adapted to new circumstances and referred to as
romanypen.
During the Interwar period, the majority of the Romani community lived on the road, thus
there is no exact data on their population number in Lithuania before World War II. Historians are
guessing that it could be around 1,500 people43. In 1941, the Nazi occupation threatened the
existence of the Romani people: the Nazi ideology referred to the Romani, just like the Jews, as
parasites that should be exterminated. According to the data of the International Commission for the
Evaluation of the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupation Regimes in Lithuania, repressions
against the Romani began at the same time as the mass shootings of the Jews. The first arrests began
in summer and autumn of 1942. In Lithuania, the majority of the Romani victims were murdered at
Pravieniškės Camp. Other locations of massacre include Šalčininkai district, not far from Kirtimai-
Porubanka, also the Ninth Fort of Kaunas and Paneriai. According to historians, the total number of
the Lithuanian Romani, murdered during the Nazi occupation, was 200-500 people. Another share
of the community – about 1,000 Romani – were deported to Western Europe for forced labour. At
the end of the war, some of the Romani ended up and were murdered at mass extermination camps
in various parts of Europe, occupied by the Nazis, such as Auschwitz. However, the majority
managed to return to Lithuania 44.
Quite often the Romani in Lithuania are referred to as ‘čigonas’, but this name originates in
the Greek word ‘atsiganos’, which means ‘untouchable’ and came to Lithuania through Slavic
languages. In order to evade negative connotations and faulty translations in other languages, the
World Romani Congress, organised in 1971, asked to refer to this nation as the Romani. This term
is also used by the United Nations and other international organisations. In Romani, ‘Roma’ means
‘a man of Romani ethnicity’, while prejudice or hatred towards the Romani is known as
romophobia.
Public opinion about the Romani
A consistent study of the public opinion on the Romani community in Lithuania began in
2005, recording a particularly negative attitude towards this ethnic group – 77 per cent of the
population did not want to have any Romani in their neighbourhood45. In the last 15 years this
number reduced by about 15 per cent, reaching 62 per cent in 2019 46. A poll, conducted nearly a
42
The Romani Platform, ‘Istorija’. http://www.romuplatforma.lt/istorija/
43
Juškaitė, J. ‘Romų genocido užmaršties režimas Lietuvoje’, 5 March 2017 https://manoteises.lt/straipsnis/romu-
genocido-uzmarsties-rezimas-lietuvoje/
44
Manoteises.lt, "#MesPrisimename", 25 January 2019. https://manoteises.lt/peticija/mesprisimename/
45
Centre for Ethnic Studies, ‘Socialinių tyrimų instituto Etninių tyrimų centro užsakymu UAB RAIT atliktos
visuomenės nuomonės apklausos rezultatai’, 5-8 May 2005http://www.ces.lt/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/ETC-vis-
nuomones-apkl.-2005-05-5-8.pdf
46
Centre for Ethnic Studies, ‘Lietuvos socialinių tyrimų centro Etninių tyrimų instituto užsakymu atliktos visuomenės
nuostatų apklausos 2019 rezultatai’, 25 March-10 April 2019 http://www.ces.lt/wp-
content/uploads/2010/02/Visuomen%C4%97s-nuostatos-apklausos-rezultatai_20191.pdf
18year ago, also showed that 65 per cent of the population would not want to have the Romani as their
tenants and 38.7 per cent would not want to have any Romani colleagues at work.
These adverse attitudes from the Lithuanian residents stand out in the context of the European
Union. Last year’s Eurostat data shows that 64 per cent of the EU residents would be completely
fine working with a Romani person, while the same index in Lithuania is only 46 per cent. Besides,
nearly half (49 per cent) of the EU residents would feel completely at ease with a Romani person
becoming the leader of their country, while the same number in Lithuania is only 21 per cent 47.
I still see people hiding their purses, when they notice me on the trolleybus. It's so annoying.
Makes me wanna run and scream. You can't get used to the fact that someone thinks you’re a thief.
Sometimes you just sit there, staring at a single point and notice that someone sitting next to you has
changed their seat, although your clothes are neat and you also have a purse that you're afraid that
might get stolen. Romani Božena Karvelienė-Michaj, from an interview to manoteises.lt 48portal.
Expression of hatred towards the Romani community
According to the qualitative research, conducted by the order of the MoI in 2019, hatred
towards members of the Romani community express in various forms and in all areas of life.
Members of this community often experience verbal bullying in public places (street), which
sometimes even leads to physical violence. Verbal or physical violence often comes from the
neighbours or locals and in some cases the Romani are even ignored by persons, representing official
institutions, who avoid them or make negative comments49.
These results were also endorsed at the round table discussions in Šiauliai, Panevėžys,
Kaunas and Vilnius, attended by members of the Romani community or their representatives: upon
noticing a Romani person, non-Romani people often openly start hiding their bags and purses, and
use bullying words like ‘gipsy’ or ‘nigger’, etc. in attempts to force them out of the public places,
raising the sense of insecurity and showing that the Romani are not welcome.
Very often the Romani experience hatred and discrimination for their ethnicity not only from
ordinary citizens, but also institutions providing public services or local politicians. One of the
participants of the round table discussion shared an incident with a doctor in Panevėžys, who
commented ‘another black one born’ to a woman, who had just given birth. Another participant
remembered that she was refused an audience with a mayor in South Lithuania and was forced out
of the mayor’s lobby by the secretary, and many other cases.
Representatives of the Romani community also noted that incitement to hatred is particularly
strong in social media, while increasing public awareness of the Romani genocide is followed by
increasing cases of urging ‘to finish what Hitler started’, ‘burn them in furnaces’, etc.
Although public polls, round table discussions and the qualitative research show a rather
wide social distance and the society’s refusal to accept the Romani community, cases of incitement
47
Eurostat, ‘Discrimination in the European Union Roma 2019’.
https://data.europa.eu/euodp/en/data/dataset/S2251_91_4_493_ENG
48
Baranauskaitė, D. ‘B. Karvelienė: Darbo pokalbyje yra pasakę, ‘Mes čigonų nepriimsime’, manoteises.lt, 21
October 2016https://manoteises.lt/straipsnis/b-karveliene-michaj-darbo-pokalbyje-yra-pasake-mes-cigonu-
nepriimsime/
49
Labanauskas, L. Neapykantos Nusikaltimų Pažeidžiamų Bendruomenių Kokybinio Tyrimo Ataskaita, Ministry of
the Interior, 2019, p. 37.
19to hatred or hate crimes against the Romani community are particularly rare in the official reports.
Non-governmental organisations, working in the field of human rights, know barely a couple of
cases of pre-trial investigations regarding incitement to hatred or hate crimes.
● In 2014, the Supreme Court of Lithuania upheld the decision of the lower court,
convicting three persons for public humiliation, incitement to violence against Romani persons and
a mild bodily injury, carried out in 201150.
● In 2019, Facebook advertised a computer game, featuring Romani people as targets.
Upon receiving a complaint from the Lithuanian Centre or Human Rights, the Prosecutor General
began a pre-trial investigation regarding incitement to hatred51.
The latency of hate crimes against the Romani community is determined by complex
interrelated reasons, most important of which include lack of their trust in law enforcement
institutions, normalisation of hatred towards the Romani, no hope for having the crime solved and
the perpetrator – punished, and thinking that things will always be the same, especially if they have
experienced a negative and humiliating attitude from the law enforcement before. There is also the
social distance, which leaves the Romani with poor knowledge of the legal system and their rights52.
Talking of the round table discussions, representatives of the Romani community said that they were
pleasantly surprised to have the police officers listen to their problems and treat them like ‘normal
people’, saying that they were ready to cooperate with officers of such attitude.
Therefore, in conclusion, it could be said that the law enforcement officers’ respectful and
professional communication and effort to get to know the Romani culture, their social and economic
issues better would help build sustainable connections with this group, increasing trust in the police
and reducing the latency of hate crimes against the Romani.
Important information about the community
The main symbol of the Romani is a
cartwheel on a blue and green background. The blue
colour symbolises the sky and spiritual values, the
green – grass, fields, fertility and eternal earthly values.
The cartwheel reminds of the history of the Romani
nation – constant movement and progress.
As it was already mentioned, the Romani took
over local religious habits and do not have their own
religion. This means that that the celebrations of the
In the photo: Romani flag
majority of the Romani and other ethnic groups, living
(photo credit: Wikimedia)
in Lithuania, are the same and celebrated at the same
50
Supreme Court of Lithuania, CASE 2K-359/2014, 1 July 2013 https://eteismai.lt/byla/267063738226763/2K-
359/2014
51
Platukytė, D. ‘Lietuviško kompiuterinio žaidimo reklama sukėlė pasipiktinimo bangą: taikinyje – tikri romų taboro
gyventojai’, LRT.lt, 22 July 2019 https://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/lietuvoje/2/1080835/lietuvisko-kompiuterinio-zaidimo-
reklama-sukele-pasipiktinimo-banga-taikinyje-tikri-romu-taboro-gyventojai
52
Labanauskas, L. Neapykantos Nusikaltimų Pažeidžiamų Bendruomenių Kokybinio Tyrimo Ataskaita, Ministry of
the Interior, 2019, p. 44‒45.
20time. However, there are four days on the calendar, which celebrate the Romani culture or
commemorate the genocide against this ethnic community.
● 27 January – International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The United Nations
dedicated this day to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust around the world, including the
Romani.
● 8 April – International Romani Day. This day is dedicated to increase awareness
of the Romani culture and issues that the people of this nation encounter.
● 2 August – the Remembrance of the Romani Genocide Samudaripen. In 2019, the
Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania included this day into the Law on the National Memorial Days
of the Republic of Lithuania. This date, as the remembrance of the Romani genocide, is
commemorated in many other European states.
● 5 November – International Romani Language Day. During the first World
Romani Congress, organised in 1971, Romani language was declared an official Romani language
in Europe.
Lithuanian Romani community did not have a single monument or official memorial place
until 2016. In 2016, four Memorial stones, dedicated to the Romani women, who suffered the
Holocaust, were built in Panevėžys, at Tilvyčio g. 153. In 2019, Vaclovas Jankauskas Open Air
Museum of Stones, established in Alytus district, opened a memorial cross, dedicated to the Romani,
persecuted and murdered during World War II54.
Organisations
There are about ten organisations, working with the Romani or Romani ethnic group in
Lithuania. The most prominent of these are the Lithuanian Romani Community and the Roma
Community Centre. The latter has submitted reports to international organisations on hate crimes
against the Romani in Lithuania.
Roma Community Centre
Address: Metalo g. 23a, Vilnius, Lithuania
Phone number: + 370 5 210 4134
Website: www.roma.lt
Lithuanian Romani Community
Address: Pupinės 1B, Vilnius
Phone number: +37063721575
E-mail: sareroma@takas.lt
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/romubendruomene/
More information on the Romani organisations, operating in Lithuania, is available at
http://www.romuplatforma.lt/kontaktai/romu-organizacijos/.
53
Memorial stones in Panevėžys. https://manoteises.lt/atminimo-akmenys/panevezys/
54
Indrėlytė, E. ‘Alytaus rajone skambant gitarai ir smuikui atidengtas paminklas romams’, alytusplius.lt, 11 July 2019.
https://m.alytusplius.lt/naujienos/alytaus-rajone-skambant-gitarai-ir-smuikui-atidengtas-paminklas-romams
21MUSLIM COMMUNITY
History and demography
Muslims are the people that profess Islamic religion. Islam is the second major religion in
the world (after Christianity), the main branches of which are Sunni and Shiite. According to
calculations, Islam is professed by 1.8 billion people and this is the fastest-growing religion in the
world (it is expected that the number of Muslims in 2060 will reach about 3 billion) 55. The majority
of Muslims live in south and south-eastern Asia, there is also a dense population in the Middle East,
while in Europe (defined as the 27 EU states, the United Kingdom, Norway and Switzerland) they
constitute 4.9 per cent of the population (25.8 million people) 56.
According to the population census of 2011, 2,727 of the Lithuanian citizens identified as
Muslims57, but it is very likely that the actual number living in the country is higher.
Lithuanian Muslims are predominated by the Sunni and Sunni Muslims are acknowledged
as one of the nine traditional religious communities58. Islam has existed in Lithuania for more than
600 years. This religion has been brought to Lithuania by Tatars – emigrants from the Golden Horde
and descendants of the Crimean Khanate: in the late 14th c. the Grand Duke Vytautas invited several
hundred of noble Tatar families to settle around Trakai and Vilnius 59.
In the mid. 20th c., the largest Muslim communities lived in Kaunas, Raižiai (Alytus district),
Nemėžis, Keturiasdešimties Totorių village and Vilnius 60. Soviet policies regarding religion were
as unfavourable to Muslims as to Christians. However, the Muslim religious life was restored with
the restoration of the Republic of Lithuania. In 1998 marked the (re)establishment of the Spiritual
Centre of the Lithuanian Sunni Muslims - Muftiate, which is the highest religious authority61.
Although Muslims in Lithuania are still often associated namely with the Tatar community,
after the restoration of Independence, the ethnic composition of this religious community has been
changing. Since the restoration of the Independence, the Lithuanian Muslim community has been in
close communication with the Turkish government and thus, as of 2008, the religious ceremonies
have been held not only by imams from Lithuania (for the Sunnis, the word ‘imam’ firstly refers to
the person who leads the worship, standing in front of the congregation62), but also those who are
sent from Turkey63. According to the population census of 2011, 2,793 Lithuanian citizens identified
55
Lipka, M., Hackett C. ‘Why Muslims Are the World’s Fastest Growing Religious Group’, Pew Research Centre,
2017. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/06/why-muslims-are-the-worlds-fastest-growing-religious-
group
56
Pew Research Centre, ‘Europe’s Growing Muslim Population’, 2017.
https://www.pewforum.org/2017/11/29/europes-growing-muslim-population/
57
Statistics Lithuania, ‘Gyventojai pagal tautybę, gimtąją kalbą ir tikybą: Lietuvos Respublikos 2011 metų visuotinio
gyventojų ir būstų surašymo rezultatai', 15 March 2013
https://osp.stat.gov.lt/documents/10180/217110/Gyv_kalba_tikyba.pdf/1d9dac9a-3d45-4798-93f5-941fed00503f
58
Law on Religious Communities and Associations of the Republic of Lithuania, 4 October 1995, No. I-1057.
https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/TAIS.21783/SCDBicfusg
59
Department of National Minorities under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, ‘Totoriai’.
https://tmde.lrv.lt/lt/tautines-bendrijos/tautiniu-mazumu-organizacijos/totoriai
60
Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija, ‘Islamas’. https://www.vle.lt/Straipsnis/islamas-32826
61
Ibid.; Račius, E. ‘Islamo žinynas’, Vilnius University Press, 2007, p. 105.
62
Račius, E. Islamo žinynas, p. 59.
63
Islamasvisiems.lt, ‘Mečetės, islamiški centrai, turistinė vieta’. http://islamasvisiems.lt/mecetes-islamiski-centrai-
turistine-vieta/
22themselves as Tatars and 2,727 – as Muslims, mostly living in Vilnius (1,299), Kaunas (362), Alytus
(345) and Klaipėda (278) areas. 1,441 Tatars identified themselves as Muslims (which is 51.6 per
cent of the entire community) 64. Another part consists of Lithuanians, Poles, Russians and, most
likely, some of those, who have identified themselves as Azerbaijani, Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Arabs,
Turkish and Chechens.
It should be noted that in the past 10 years since the last population census, the number of
immigrants and refugees from states, where Islam is a dominant religion, has increased. Therefore,
most likely, some of the Tadjiks, Syrians, Iraqi and other persons profess Islam as well. Moreover,
according to calculations, several hundred ethnic Lithuanians have converted to Islam and their
children have already been born as Muslims 65.
Public opinion about the Muslims
The attitudes of the Lithuanian society towards Muslims have been consistently studied since
2005, when a representative public survey showed that 51 per cent of the respondents would not
want to have Muslims as their neighbours. Since then the social distance between the ‘majority’ of
Lithuania and the Muslim community had been gradually decreasing until acts of terror in Paris and
elsewhere in 2015, when the media covered these events highlighting the religion of the terrorists,
significantly increasing the adversity towards this community. A representative public survey,
conducted in November 2015, showed that 58 per cent of the Lithuanian residents would not want
to live in a Muslim neighbourhood66.
Later the intolerance to Muslims gradually declined, but opinions towards those, who profess
Islam, remained the most unfavourable, compared to other religious groups. A public poll,
conducted in Lithuania in 2019, showed that 35.9 per cent of the Lithuanian citizens would not want
to have Muslims as their neighbours. Moreover, nearly one third of the respondents – 24.5 per cent
– would not want to have someone professing Islam as their co-workers. As many as 36.8 per cent
of the respondents would not want to rent their property to Muslims too.
This unfavourable attitude towards Muslims makes Lithuanians stand out in the context of
the European Union. According to a survey, conducted by Eurostat in 2019, 33 per cent of
Lithuanians would not be happy to have a Muslim as their co-worker, while the EU average of the
same index is 13 per cent 67.
This attitude means that Muslims, especially those, whose religious affiliations are more
notable due to their clothing or name and surname, indicating their non-Lithuanian origins, find it
harder to get employment or accommodation.
64
Statistics Lithuania, ‘Gyventojai pagal tautybę, gimtąją kalbą ir tikybą: Lietuvos Respublikos 2011 metų visuotinio
gyventojų ir būstų surašymo rezultatai’, 15 March 2013
https://osp.stat.gov.lt/documents/10180/217110/Gyv_kalba_tikyba.pdf/1d9dac9a-3d45-4798-93f5-941fed00503f
65
Račius, E. Musulmonai ir jų islamai., Science and Encyclopaedia Publishing Centre, 2016, p. 17.
66
Here and further: Data of representative public surveys, conducted by the Institute for Ethnic Studies.
http://www.ces.lt/veikla-2/ziniasklaidos-stebesena/visuomenes-nuomones-apklausos/
67
European Commission, ‘Special Eurobarometer 493: Discrimination in the EU’, May 2019.
https://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion/index.cfm/survey/getsurveydetail/instruments/special/surveyky/22
51
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